Emmily
A feminine variant of the Old German name "Amal", meaning "industrious" or "hardworking".
Name Census estimates that about 939 living Americans carry the first name Emmily. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emmily today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emmily births was 2008 (42 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emmily. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
939
~ 1 in 365,021 Americans
Peak year
2008
42 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,440
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Emmily: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emmily from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 348 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmily by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Emmily during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Emmilys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Emmily
The name Emmily has its origins in the Latin language and culture. It is a variation of the name Emily, which is derived from the Latin word "aemulus," meaning "rival" or "striving." The name was first recorded in ancient Roman texts, but its popularity surged during the Middle Ages.
In medieval Europe, the name Emmily was often associated with strength, determination, and ambition. Some scholars believe that the name may have been inspired by the character of Emily from the Roman poet Virgil's epic work, the Aeneid. Emily was portrayed as a strong, fearless warrior who fought alongside the hero Aeneas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmily can be found in the 12th century, when a noblewoman named Emmily de Montfort lived in England. She was known for her bravery and her involvement in the Crusades. Another notable figure was Emmily of Aragon, a 13th-century Spanish princess who played a significant role in the unification of the Iberian Peninsula.
During the Renaissance period, the name Emmily gained popularity among the wealthy and aristocratic classes. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Emmily Dickinson, an American poet born in 1830. Her unconventional style and exploration of themes such as death, nature, and spirituality have made her a literary icon.
In the 19th century, Emmily Brontë, the sister of the renowned writers Charlotte and Anne Brontë, was a notable figure. Although she did not achieve the same level of fame as her siblings, her writings and contributions to the Brontë literary legacy have been widely recognized.
Another influential woman named Emmily was Emmily Pankhurst, a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement in the early 20th century. Born in 1858, she dedicated her life to campaigning for women's right to vote and played a pivotal role in the struggle for gender equality.
While the name Emmily has experienced periods of popularity and decline throughout history, it has remained a beloved choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage and a sense of strength and determination.
People
Emmily + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emmily as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Emmily: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emmily?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 939 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emmily going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 365,021 US residents.
Is Emmily a common name?
We classify Emmily as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 961 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emmily most popular?
The single biggest year for Emmily was 2008, when 42 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emmily is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emmily a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emmily in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.